chapter fifthteen Flashcards
rump struggled to maintain authority after 1649 or during the
interregnum
a source of division between the army and the rump was
the dutch war
the army saw the protestant , mainly merchant class dutch republic as a natural ally because
during the years of laudian prosecution , the religiously tolerant dutch republic was a haven for many English radicals
however the dutch lost their economic advantages when the rump passed the
navigation act of 1651
the navigation act of 1651 specified that only
English ships should bring goods into England and its colonies and only English ships should bring fish into England
there were escalating clashes at sea until a full naval engagement in
may 1652
pushed the two countries to war
the dutch war only created practical problems but also storey army resentment over money being spent on the
navy instead of the army swell as the rumps use of the navy as a political counterweight to the army
the army also disliked fighting against another
protestant republic
the army get increasingly frustrated with
the rumps limited reform
while there was a core of republicans who dominated the rump many of the MPs were
relatively conservative and had not wanted to monarch removed
they sought to limit the revolution probably only x should be classes as revolutionaries
15%
there were a number of reasons for the rumps conservatism
- 41 MPs on the council of state , 33 refused to swear an oath approving regicide and abolition of monarchy and HoL
- economics , not funds to initiate extensive reform
- security , threat ireland and Scotland and Europe meant establishing a regime was a priority more than a reform
- fear of radical groups made MPs fearful of religious radical reform
- the dutch war became the focus of the Rump
there were two key problems contributing to the failure of the rump
- PNs conservative demands for a return to normality were set against a radical minority . especially in the army who wanted to see further social legal and economic reforms continuing from 1649
- the relationship between parliament and the NMA was fragile . parliament could only function only under the protection of the army that held real power
these were the contradictions of the rump , it was seen as too radical by the traditional PN but too
moderate by the NMA
it was the rumps attempt to appeal to the PN in order to consolidate its position after the revolution that made some including
the army , regard the regime as too conservative
none of the recommendations of The Hale commission which was established in 1652 to
consider reform of the law were put into action
the Presbyterian system set up between 1644 ands 1648 remained in place and moves to abolish
tithes received little support
in 1650 measures against religious non conformity particularly the blasphemy act of august 1650 marked
the rump as even more religiously conservative than the army wanted
despite this conservatism , the rump did introduce some reform . in September 1650 the rump bought an end to
compulsory attendance of the national church , and decided that all legal proceedings would be in English rather than latin
the rump established acts for ‘ propagation ‘ off the gospel in
Wales , ireland and the north
these reforms were key measures for millenarian army leaders such as
Thomas Harrison who wanted what they saw as less godly areas too be converted to their own views
the main issue for the army was the rumps failure to introduce
constitutional reform
the armies dissapointment with the rump was voiced and grew s their victories in ireland and Scotland made them more
convinced that this moment needed to be seized to establish godly rule
until there army had completed the crushing of the Irish and Scots the army was not in a position too
put pressure on the rump
Cromwell was concerned about the rumps lack of progress he valued
army unity over parliamentary authority
in the winter of 1652-53 Cromwell acted as a moderator between the army and the rump and securing a date for
parliament to dissolve itself in November 1653
when Cromwell discover in April 1653 that the rump intended to set up its own committee to
judge those who would be elected he felt this would in effect maintain the rumps power and would prevent reform
thus Cromwell acted and with major general Thomas Harrison , the leading millenarian fifth monarchists he
forcibly dissolved the rump in April 1653
the rumps dissolution in 1653 left power in
Cromwells hands
Cromwell was not interested in being a military dictator , as a political conservative he sought
another parliament as a means of settlement
the question for Cromwell was what kind of parliament and more specifically the means of
selecting MPs
Cromwell decided to turn to those whom he felt he could trust …
the godly
the fifth monarchist Harrison in particular seems to have helped persuade
Cromwell that this was the way forward
but the army officers instead select 139 MPs nominated by separatist congregations across the country to form
the next parliament , the nominated assembly
the fifth monarchists wanted a regime run exclusively by the
’ Saints ‘ based on their interpretation of the biblical books of Daniel and Revelation.
the books of Daniel and Revelation suggested that the thousand year kingdoms of saints was close , this belief was not unusual it derived form
millenarianism , which was a widely held belief at the time that god would establish Christs rule on earth
the fifth monarchists believed however that action would hasten Christs kingdom thus the fifth monarchist had support
in the army and the context of the civil war and political revolution merely strengthened the belief that these were truly the end of days
in April 1648 the army prepared to face a second civil war and a Scottish invansion that Charles had bought through his
engagement with the scots , the army met in prayer at Windsor castle
at Windsor castle Harrison reflected on numbers 35:33 and declared that Charles I is a
’ man of blood ‘
the rump set up commissions for the propagation of the gospel in
the north and Wales
the welsh commission was taken over by welsh fifth monarchists …
Vavasor Powell
and Morgan Llwyd
who were linked to Harrison
the fifth monarchists like many in the army increasingly regarded the rump as
preventing the establishment of godly rule
in this context the fifth monarchists became a pressure group that aimed at removing
the rump and establishing godly rule at the forefront of this was Harrison
Cromwells summons for an assembly declared to
’ divers persons fearing god and of approved and integrity and honesty are by myself with the advice of my council of officers nominated: to whom the great charge and trust of so weighty affairs is to be committed ‘
cromwells hope that this was a moment for the ‘ the godly ‘ to be truly represented in an assembly further
indicates his own millenarianism
under Cromwells terms selected MPs formed the nominated assembly in
July 1653
the next parliament or assembly that lasted from July to December 1653 has been referred to as
many different things
nominated assembly July/dec 1653
members were nominated rather than elected Cromwell referred too the body as an assembly rather than a parliament
little parliament July/dec 1653
there were only 144 members (139 selects and joint by 5 others in July 1653) in the 1640 parliament there had been 507 MPs
barebones parliament July/dec 1653
a term of abuse derived from the name of one of its members , praise god barbon
the parliament of saints July/dec 1653
a positive term from those who saw the members as the godly
the assembly looked at many reform proposals such as
- reform of the law on debt
- more humane treatment of the insane
- civil registrations at birth deaths and marriages
- tougher measure against thieves and highwaymen
none of these measures were too radical to frighten moderates however the assembly
wanted to go even further
religious radicals including fifth monarchists were relatively small in numbers with their being
12 definite fifth monarchists but they were very well organised
the fifth monarchist were able to to get through controversial votes ti abolish
the chancery and lay patronage of church livings as well as to signal their desire to get rid of tithes
from July/oct 1653 many JPs who had supported the rump were removed leaving
fewer gentry in positions of local power than ever before
such measures by fifth monarchists and removal of JPs alienated
the moderates in and outside the assembly including Cromwell
Cromwell told his parliament of 1657 that if he has allowed the assembly to continue it would have resulted in
’ the subversion of your laws and all of the liberties of this nation , the destruction of the minsters of this nation : in a world the confusion of all things ‘
the suggestion of radicals to cut army pay , including not paying senior officers for a year was
provocative to a group that the assembly was dependent on
the moderates had never even really supported the assembly and its failures confirmed to them the need
for a diffrent form of settlement
on 12 December 1653 moderates from the assembly met very early and outvoted
the radicals to hand power back to Cromwell
the key figure behind the military coup was Lambert the leading
army officer after Cromwell
working in alliance with moderate MPs
the officers of the new model in Scotland had addressed their support for the removal of the
Nominated assembly to Lambert not Cromwell
the coup was to establish Cromwell as the lord protector under the terms if the written constitution “
the instrument of government “ written by Lambert himself
it was Lambert who played the most prominent role in the instillation of
Cromwell as protector
Lambert was regarded as
“Cromwells understudy “
